


Going Down in Flames

by Cupcakemolotov



Series: Dance with the Devil [28]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Smut, Supernatural - Freeform, Vampirism as a disease
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 18:02:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14360727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cupcakemolotov/pseuds/Cupcakemolotov
Summary: It’s an unlucky break that Caroline is one of the .001 percent of the population allergic to vampirism. But now an entirely new world has opened up to her. It’s filled with witches and werewolves, and a particular stubborn, unfairly attractive bar tender who her monster wants to nibble on.If she can survive long enough.





	Going Down in Flames

Caroline ignored the muttering around her as voices bounced against concrete and steel. She was pretty sure the noise was why she’d been put in this particular holding cell. While it sizzled with enough witch magic to leave her skin itchy, there was a distinct lack of sound suppression.

She was blonde, not stupid.

Vampires weren't rare, per se, but she was an oddity in the supernatural. The witch who'd accidentally (and Caroline always rolled her eyes at that) screwed up a perfectly good necromancy spell hundreds of years ago had created a disease. One most of the population seemed to be immune to.

Unfortunately for Caroline, she wasn’t.

So, three days after she woke up eating her college roommate, Caroline’s bank account had drastically increased. The reasoning was convoluted and tangled harder than a Celtic knot, but it boiled down down to the witches getting their hands slapped. Some entity had taken offense to additional predators being let loose on the public, and had decided to hit the Witch Council where it hurt the most.

In modern times, that meant their pocket books.

Since vampirism only affected .001 percent of those who came into contact with the disease, they didn't often have to pay out. But the fine when they did was significant. Caroline had also been given a neat little ring that supposedly made her immune to some of the pesky side effects of drinking blood to survive.

While she was certain the ring did grant immunity to sunlight, it also gave the witches an easy way to track her movements and monitor her feeding. That ring was at the bottom of Mystic Falls lake. The ring her witchy best friend had made her was a much better (see prettier) and harder to track accessory.

Caroline hadn’t become an outcast per se, but there was no hiding that she was a predator, and a constant reminder of the witch’s biggest failure. It particularly galled the Witch Council that vampires preyed on humans, a dirty secret they tried to bury. It was impossible for vampires to survive on anything but human blood, and no amount of experimenting had changed that.

Sadly while vampirism sounded fabulous her life had pretty much fallen into a rut. Eternally young and currently very rich, she had found herself floundering. She hadn’t been willing to leave her human mom to globe trot for months at a time, not yet. Instead she'd skulked between Richmond and Mystic Falls, bored.

Then, roughly six months earlier, Bonnie had decided to sell her apartment in New York City and move home Mystic Falls to take care of her ailing grandmother. Liz had somehow talked Caroline into renting it instead. It was close enough she could fly home whenever she wanted while still giving them both some space.

So Caroline had moved to New York City.

Now she was in jail.

Her mom was going to be so pissed.

Rolling her shoulder to work out some of her lingering stiffness, Caroline did her best to ignore her growing thirst. Vervain was a bitch, and these assholes had pumped her full of it before she'd had a chance to do more than yelp. Supposedly as a vampire aged, vervain affected them less, but waking up in a holding cell healing and hungry left her cranky.

She wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out her being hangry was the point of this exercise. She hadn’t had a chance to feed that day. In another couple hours, she’d be very interested in anything with a pulse. She bit the tip of her tongue, forcing herself to calm down. Attacking a cop would get her slaughtered long before anyone cared to ask why they had violently arrested and starved her.

Knowing that didn’t help her boredom.

It took another hour, before a plainclothes detective walked into her line of sight. Caroline nearly rolled her eyes at the obvious bait. The human was attractive, and he knew it Human Caroline would have licked her lips and flirted. Vampire Caroline was bored.

It still took more control than it should have to lock down her monster when she caught the scent of blood. Her nails curled into her palms, monster too close to the surface. His smile widened and she’d bet money he got off on the superiority he felt looking at imprisoned supernatural.

“So, you're the local vamp. I have to admit, you're prettier than I thought you'd be,” he told her. “But I hear that's one of the perks.”

Caroline shrugged carefully. “Apparently, so is harassment. My mom’s a Sheriff, which means I know my rights. What are you planning on charging me with? Because if I remember my handy dandy guide to vampirism, unprovoked vervain is assault. I'd like to file a complaint with your supervisor.”

Hematched her tone. “I've got a Ripper on the streets, vamp. You'll find I can do pretty much whatever I want.”

“A ripper?”

“One of your kind, but more of the serial killer variety. Likes to dismember it’s victims.” His cop eyes went cold as he pulled a vial out of his pocket. “You could save us all the trouble, agree to a blood test.”

Caroline had honestly never heard of a ripper. She was a predator, not serial killer. Whatever he was talking about hadn't been in her ‘How Not to Eat People and Keep her Friends Breathing’ pamphlet. But her instincts said whatever this cop thought was a blood test was a bad idea.

“No thanks.”

He leaned forward, voice a low growl. “Don't think your little witchy friend can help you with this, Miss Forbes. It's in your best interest to corporate.”

“Now see, when I ended up infected my bullshit meter went from being good to being amazing. It's the flutter of your pulse. The way you sweat. Your pupils.” Caroline smiled, teeth blunt and white in the light. “Another one of those vampire perks. You don't like me, Detective. And I don't think you're particularly concerned with my innocence.”

“You get hungry enough and that tune will change.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Caroline snapped, nails cutting into her palms. Getting angry incited the monster, and it was already crawling to close to the surface. She couldn't help the lungful of air she took, searching underneath the lingering smell of blood for this detective’s personal scent. She'd remember him. And one day, they’d have the chance to have a chat, outside her current cell.

She’d make sure of it.

The detective smiled, shoulder leaning into the bars as a silent taunt. “Vampires are a disease, Miss Forbes. A festering wound that doesn't end until you die with a stake in your chest. You'll find most of us don't mind looking the other way when bad things happen to your kind.”

“Now that certainly does count as harassment. Should I add my complaint to yours, sweetheart?”

The low, British tones were familiar and a shock. The way the detective’s complexion went bone-white wasn’t the reaction she’d have expected. Her gaze snapped towards the stairs, and her breath hitched.

Curly haired, dimpled, and wearing perpetual scruff, Klaus Mikaelson was built on lean lines that made her mouth water. Sarcastic, and rough around the edges, there was nothing about him that should have frightened a human. But Klaus’ gaze glittered as he dragged his eyes along her disheveled body, anger tightening his cheekbones. Small, glittering flecks of gold were the only visible signs of his monster, but the detective’s posture fascinated her.

Tense, with his chin lowered to hide his throat. The detective felt like prey. Leaning forward, Caroline scowled. What was she missing?

How did this human know Klaus?

Klaus’ gaze shifted to catch hers. Caroline’s insides went hot with awareness, monster too close for her to hide the reaction that he always incited in her. She watched in fascination as the band around his pupil went golden, but instead of commenting at her obvious arousal, he looked away, and stared at the detective with iron in his eyes.

What was Klaus doing here?

He worked at her favorite local bar, and she’d no idea how he knew she’d been arrested or why he'd bother to find her. She’d stumbled into Fireside by complete accident months ago. It was sandwiched between Witches Lane and the local werewolf problem, which wasn’t always welcoming territory for her.

The bar was old fashioned and full of heavy wood and low lights, and something had always felt old about the place. It was also just grungy enough that she’d made a habit of eyeing the spells that managed upkeep and cleanliness. Vampire or not, the uncleanliness gave her hives.

Klaus worked as the bartender. He always had a smile for her, something wicked and tempting, but the monster beneath her skin was wary. He was definite other, but Caroline hadn't been able to figure out what. It drove her nuts that no one ever discussed Klaus’ monster. Puzzles frustrated her as much as they intrigued her and her pride refused to let her bend enough to ask when he seemed so amused by her lack of knowledge.

The bar food helped soothe her temper. The menu changed regularly, as did the speciality drink list, but she’d adjusted. It’d been relaxing to find a place to blend in easily with the other supernaturals. Witches and werewolves might not like her, per se, but very few begrudged her a drink with Klaus watching.

Bonnie had hardly been surprised when she’d mentioned her enjoyment.

“Oh God, have you met the cook yet? Kol thinks he's some sort of Le Cordon Bleu chef, so watch his ‘specials’ because they're horrifying.”

Kol fried potatoes in duck fat. Caroline had never met him, but she’d certainly kiss him for that alone. And his Mac n Cheese left her seriously glad calories weren't her problem anymore.

But the precinct was quite a distance from the bar.

Caroline no matter how she tried, she couldn't think of a single reason to explain Klaus’ presence or why he’d let his predator show. It jarred and aroused her, seeing him like this. She was off balance, and Caroline didn’t like it.

“Sure,” she said slowly, brows tucked together as the detective stepped away from her and watched Klaus warily. If Klaus wanted to file a second complaint, she wasn't going to protest. “But what are you doing here?”

“Bailing you out.”

Caroline crossed her arms. “I haven't been arraigned. Seriously, what are you doing here?”

And what crawled beneath his skin, that humans knew to be wary?

Klaus’ eyes burned, a flash of gold behind his iris, and his smile was lethal. “Can't you just say thank you?”

“Nope.”

Dimples deep, his eyes shifted to the detective. “Her home is in my territory, Castle. Did you imagine I wouldn't be made aware of the scene you made when you brought her in?”

Castle’s jaw went tight. “You cannot wish to protect her? She's a vampire. She's already dead!”

Head tilted, with hands clasped behind his back, a pit opened behind Klaus’ eyes. “Are you making a formal suggestion?”

“No,” he growled. “But Aurora will hear of this.”

Klaus laughed softly, and motioned to the door Caroline was standing behind. “Release Caroline, Lucien. Your Captain will have those complaints delivered in the usual manner.”

Caroline kept her mouth shut. For one, she refused to appear like she didn't know what was going on. For another, that little power play had been odd. The flicker of gold in Klaus' eyes and the way his scent changed?

Hotness aside, she didn't understand his angle.

She had never touched his customers, and she did her hunting a good distance from her apartment. Caroline usually kept her meals clean, which made it harder to track her habits. There was an occasional idiot who ended up in the morgue, but she was careful. The Witch Council liked to keep a close eyes on her body count, but there were other ways to feed her monster’s blood list.

Sex being her preference.

Klaus had never been prey. If it had just been the usual sexual attraction for someone who might bite back, Caroline might have seen if he was amiable to being seduced. But she’d never been able to shake that first meeting, that instinctive warning that he was more than dimples and a pretty face.

_“You're new around here, sweetheart.”_

_The clipped British accent was jarring in a city full of odds accents, and Caroline looked up from her drink menu to blink at the very attractive bartender. For a moment his eyes held hers, and something intangible filled the air between him. To her bafflement, his shoulders tightened, jaw going rock hard as he stared at her._

_A moment later, his tenses melted away as if it’d had never existed. She eyed him warily. It would seriously have sucked if the closest bar had issues with vampirism. For a moment she thought he was human, but her next breath brought a scent she didn’t recognize. Not human._

_Determined to make the best of the situation, she kept her tone polite. “I am. What do you suggest?”_

_He seemed to have recovered, and his smile was lazy and dimpled, practiced. It made her want to bite, and she didn't like that reaction at all. “That depends on the lady’s preference.”_

_His words were a flirt, and her gaze narrowed at the rumbling in his tone. That spark of challenge. Her beast shifted, but it didn't quite crawl to the surface. When Caroline spoke, her tone dripped with sweetness and just a touch of breathlessness. “Well, I like vodka.”_

_A glimmer of gold shot across his pupils, like stardust. But behind the gold was something dangerous, and it took more a great deal of grit to hold his gaze. His brows tucked together, something curious lingering in the depths of his eyes. His voice was raspy when he spoke, heat turning those blue and gold eyes potent._

_“Vodka?”_

_She smiled, teeth blunt and human, and widened her eyes. “Sometimes I'll even drink it on the rocks. But right now, I'd like an espresso martini and an order of fries. I mean, if the kitchen is still open?_ ”

That slight antagonism had colored all their interactions. It'd become something of a habit, to see how much her dumb blonde shtick could annoy him. She'd never been able to shake the feeling that he was trying to dig deeper than her surface, and her monster saw no reason to make it easy on him. He'd figured out she knew Bonnie when he'd smilingly asked to check her I.D once, but that had only seemed to deepen his intrigue.

But now Klaus was watching with a near feral eyes as she finally exited her cell. He tipped his inasilebt order to follow him. Around them the precinct had gone deathly silent, only the drum of heartbeats loud in her ears. Gaze narrowed, she held her tongue until they were outside.

Lips parting as the door shut behind them, Caroline ground her teeth as he made a slight gesture with this head for silence and motioned her towards a car she’d never seen before. While she appreciated his timely interruption, she had no intention of letting him dictate anything else. Crossing her arms, Caroline shook her head.

“I’ll find my own way home, thanks.”

Klaus stepped closer, stopping only once he was nearly pressed against her side. She bared her teeth in warning and he leaned in and breathed deeply. She stepped back, not liking the way the heat of his skin lingered where he’d touched her or the way a ring of gold formed around the darkness of his pupil. “You smell hungry and aroused, Caroline. Putting you on a subway or in a cab seems a little counter productive to bailing you out.”

That pissed her off. Caroline stepped right back into his personal bubble, uncaring at the tightness to his posture as she glared at him. She’d never been this physically close to Klaus, not with the bar always between them. Without the booze and smoke of the bar to cloud his scent, he smelled fucking delicious. But his suggestion that she was incapable of the control necessary to keep from killing when she was hungry riled her already frayed temper.

“If I decide to clean my fangs with someone's ribs, that's none of your business.”

An amused smile curled across his damn biteable lips, and he ran a single down her chin. “You're completely my business.”

“You're delusional,” Caroline said bluntly. Spinning on her heel, she froze in surprise when he was suddenly pressed along the line of her spine, palm warm against her stomach. The sudden, inexplicable impression of something large and dangerous at her back nearly had her monster tearing through her control. Breath turning labored in her throat, she bit her lip when the heat of his breath ghosted across the ridge of her ear. The spike of fear melted right back into arousal. The urge to turn and sink teeth and fang, to claw, shook her.

“How much vervain did they use, sweetheart?”

Enough that her bones still ached, the taste lingering on her tongue. Shaking her head, she drew in a deep breath, scrambling to regain control. “Why do you care?”

“Because by now the subway and your apartment have been staked out. We both know they will be looking for a single hint that your control is fracturing. Come back to my place, and I’ll answer your questions after you eat.”

She hated that he was probably right. She strongly disliked the flutter in her pulse, the way her skin heated at the feel of his breath against her skin. But the curiosity that burned through her veins - what was he, what was he, what was a ripper - sang just as strongly. She growled at the faint curve of his lips against her cheekbone when she didn’t immediately fight back.

“Besides my car is a bit quote and private. It'll give you a chance to collect yourself.”

“I don't need to collect myself,” she informed irritably and stepped clear of him with a scowl. “I'm not this damn ripper. And why did you even drive?”

“I wasn't sure what state you'd be in when I arrived,” Klaus said with a shrug. His gaze ran hotly down her body and inexplicably her pulse jumped again. “How quickly you'd need blood.”

“I dislike blood bags,” she grumped as she finally moved towards the SUV he'd motioned towards. She was pissed, not stupid. And she really wanted answers. A soft, darkly amused sound came from Klaus as he followed her.

“Who said anything about blood bags?”

Caroline barely held in her reaction to his words. By the time Klaus unlocked her door (opened it for her) her fangs were tucked back into place, her monster pushed just under her skin. But her nerves were singing and her throat burned from thirst at the suggestion that she'd slack her need on him.

It was a silent car ride towards Klaus’ apartment.

* * *

  _Surprise_ , Klaus lived above the bar.

If they were this close to her home, Caroline wanted to know why he couldn't have just dropped her off at her place. Ass. Lips compressed as she struggled to reign in her growing temper and keep her monster restrained if not contained, Caroline clenched her teeth to hold back her words as they rode the elevator she’d never noticed.

She'd identify wondered in the past who utilized the rest of the building when it'd been clear there was space that could have been rented above. A pricey commodity in New York. Thinking of the filmed over glass, the cracks in the paint and dirt that was had been visible in the higher windows she nearly shuddered. Being dead didn't mean she wanted to be dirty.

It was easier to concentrate on the filth than Klaus. Every every lungful she took was full of him. The rich, delicious heat of him permeated the car and elevator and she wanted to bite. She was too stubborn to hold her breath, but that was a double edged sword and she refused to be embarrassed by how slick she'd grown in the car. Klaus said nothing, but his knuckles had turned white around the steering wheel. Jittery with need, she’d bitten her tongue hard enough to taste blood when he finally opened his front door. The smile he wore nearly brought her monster to the fore and she quickly stepped past him.

And froze in shock. The apartment was huge. Blunt teeth catching her lower lip, she let her eyes skim the way he'd blended four stories into a curious mixture of loft space and levels; so that the unexpected skylights offer natural light to all the floors. Even more fascinating was the wall of bookshelves that crawled up one side of the space, accessible by a series of ladders on each floor. Where the downstairs bar was heavy wood and dark lighting, the apartment still gave the impression of age but managed to be open and somehow airy.

She'd never seen anything like it.

“You are welcome to gape later, love,” Klaus murmured in her ear, voice dark with amusement. “But I did promise blood and answers, and both require us to close the door.”

“Don't be an ass,” Caroline growled, but surprise had blunted the edge of her temper. She took several steps inside before toeing off her sneakers, promising herself she toss them as soon as she could. Thankfully, the vervain hadn't really made it onto her clothes, but she'd probably never wear these jeans again.

Another check mark against Detective Castle. Gaze narrowing, she turned her attention back to the man who was watching her with gold eyes. “How did you know the prick at the precinct?”

“Lucien?” Klaus said as he headed towards a lovely kitchen with an open layout. “I sponsored his family to come to the states. His cousin Aurora sits on the Witch Council and wields a fair bit of influence in this region. The little Ripper issue will of course be a problem if they don't bottle it quickly, but so will false accusations.”

Pushing aside her curiosity to peer upwards at what had to be architecture strengthened by magic, she followed him. “What exactly is a ripper?”

Klaus didn't look at her as he pulled down a pair of short glasses. “A vampire who turns feral at the taste of human blood. They will gorge, ripping apart anything until they are too bloated to move. Occasionally they try to force the monster down, but they're addicts. The witches council works hard to hide their existence, but it's impossible to know if a vampire will go feral until they lose that control.”

Caroline frowned, finally sitting on a stool near the bar. “Yeah, I've been here six months. I think someone would have noticed by now if I was splattering people.”

A flicker of gold as he gaze returned to her. It tugged at her monster, each flare of his unknown predator. “You do a very good job of hiding your monster.”

“Uh, duh. Of course I do,” she rolled her eyes as his brows tucked together. “You can’t think I'm ashamed of being a vampire. That I hate what I am? Seriously? Why should I be ashamed, because some witch decided to make a better monster and fucked it up?”

Gaze holding hers, Klaus reached for a knife and sliced open his wrist. The sudden scent of blood had her gums burning, veins crawling into her eyes as she watched his blood fill the bottom of the glass. Her gaze snapped back to his at the sudden, unexpected change in his sent, a spike of arousal that had her lips parting as she took in another greedy breath.

“You mistake me, sweetheart,” Klaus said lowly. He brought his bloody wrist to his mouth and licked it, leaving behind a smear of red across his lips. “It's disappointment you hear that you tucked away your instincts and put on your human face. That you feel you have to hide what you are even inside my bar.”

Caroline tilted her head, curious. “Why do you care? We’re not even friends, and what do you mean, your bar?”

He smiled with dimples as he stepped towards her. “Food first and then answers, I believe that was our bargain.”

She accepted the glass with narrowed eyes. The scent was divine and it was a strain not to toss the hit like a shot. Her monster was in no mood to wait or savor even as the flavor of his blood exploded on her tongue. She was neat out of habit, but even as the blood-high smoothed out the stress of the afternoon, it wasn’t enough to satisfy her. Dragging her tongue across her bottom lip to catch those last delicious drops, her voice was husky when she spoke.

“You're definitely not human.”

A low laugh as Klaus reached forward to run fingers down her chin. “No sweetheart, I'm not. But neither are you, and I find that quite delightful. So lovely.”

It took a moment for the high to fade, and Klaus never looked away as she came down. He just watched with gold burning in his gaze, lips parted as he breathed. His eyes narrowed, something old moving behind his gaze as she pushed down her monsters face and frowned at him.

What lived under her skin liked how he tasted, wanted a bigger bite.

“Satisfied?” She drawled to hide that interest. “Since I didn't go for your throat?”

His smile was dangerous and near feral. “Ah, but see Caroline, I wouldn't have minded that at all.”

She froze, flustered at the touch of gravel to his tone, the way he licked his lips as he traced her lips with his eyes.

“But there are perhaps a few things you should know, before you decide to join me in my bed.”

“Arrogant,” she dismissed, ignoring how badly she wanted to kiss him, to relieve the ache between her thighs. His smile widened, and he made a little noise of amusement as he took her glass to her sink.

“Detective Castle overstepped his bounds by taking you in. That he chose to poison you and leave you starving will be addressed.”

His voice was edged and softly dangerous. It should have alarmed her, the threat in his tone. It didn't. But she didn't understand why he was so pissed on her behalf, either. “Yeah, I'm perfectly capable of doing that on my own. Your concern makes no sense.”

“Oh?”

Caroline scowled, not liking that lingering smile tugging at the corners of his mouth at her acerbic tone. “Don't ‘oh’ me. Before today I wouldn't even have said you particularly liked me. And suddenly you show up to bail me out and express concern on how I'm being treated by the police? Giving me blood? What's your angle?”

Klaus leaned back against the counter, arms folded as he grinned at her. “Oh, I assure you love, it's never been a matter of liking you. As for the rest, you live in my territory and Lucien is very aware of what that means. It’s been six months, since I allowed you into my city.”

“Allowed?” Caroline repeated scathingly.

He shrugged, unrepentant. “I was less than pleased when the Bennett witch told the Witch Council to shove their politics and walked away. At first I thought that allowing a vampire to rent her apartment was an amusing way to show them the finger, nothing more than a few weeks hobby for you. Very few vampires are comfortable in my city, they prefer to find quieter pockets of the world where they are the strongest predator.”

“I'm told it's quirk that kicks in with age,” she deflected, watching him with sharp eyes. “I don't understand why a lone vampire is such a big deal.”

“You're a predator in a city already divided into very careful territories,” Klaus shrugged. “That you had the audacity to move so close to my lair was interesting, that you have connections to the Bennett Line? But I've now claimed you as mine. You'll find Detective Lucien is only the first who will complain.”

“Hold on. Yours? I'm not yours. I'm not anything to you and that is my point.” She jabbed a finger at him and shook her head. “We aren't anything.”

Klaus pushed off the counter and prowled into her space, those hot flecks of gold burning in his eyes. The sudden sharpness to his cheekbones, the way his scent shifted told whatever lived beneath his skin was very close to the surface. Curiosity burned at her even as she held his gaze defiantly.

“Little vampire, you're definitely mine.”

“You're clearly delusional.”

“I'm over a thousand years old,” he said casually as his eyes blazed. “This city is mine. I carved it into my territory when all that stood here was open skies. I allow the supernatural citizens to remain, because they are entertaining and occasionally grant me a reason to eat them. And in all those years, I've never had the faintest twitch of interest from my beast. Then you stroll into my home with your sugar-coated smile and curls.”

“Bar,” Caroline corrected, trying not to notice the way his heat pressed against her skin. The way her monster relished it. “I walked into your bar.”

His head dipped and he made a deep, rumbling noise that she would have expected from something much bigger than Klaus. “I'm territorial love, and if you'd shown the slightest interest I’d have had you in my bed in a matter of minutes. Then I’d have convinced you to stay.”

“What?” Caroline rasped, pulling back in disbelief. “If I'd shown interest?”

He scanned her face, head tilted with something predatory in his gaze. “You tucked away your predator.”

“Duh,” she said in exasperation. “Of course I did. But that had nothing to do with you and far more to do with catching dinner. Do you know how many creeps like to try to take advantage of a pretty girl in certain parts of this city? They totally deserve to be eaten.”

“The missing persons haven't drastically shifted since you arrived,” Klaus said, curiosity in his eyes, smile slow as it curled across his lips. “And neither has the body count.”

“Please,” Caroline said disdainfully. “My mother is a cop. It's hardly my fault if you and everyone else has been making assumptions. Are we finished here? I'd like to go home and change clothes, I smell like the precinct.”

Find an actually meal instead of a trading appetizer. Maybe drown the smell of him on her skin out with blood and sex. Then she’d call Bonnie to see if she wanted to come up for a weekend visit and pick her brain. She’d clearly been left out of the loop and she didn’t like it.

Caroline wasn't sure if the sudden gleam in Klaus eyes alarmed or aroused her. Wary, she watched as his lashes hooded his vibrant gaze. Her mouth ran dry at the way he leaned closer still and breathed her in, a low noise rumbling in his chest.

“If you wish to return to your apartment, I will escort you,” Klaus rumbled. Those warm, pleasantly calloused fingers returned to her throat, and he dragged a slow line down her skin. “But you're also welcome to stay.”

Her nerves caught fire at his offer. The promise in his words. The way his tongue snaked across his lower lip.

“Why should I?”

A deep laugh, and Klaus pulled her against his body, fingers snaking under her shirt to tease along her spine. “Because I want to hoard you. I want to know how to draw out that pretty monster of yours, and just how hard you'll come with my blood on your tongue.”

She considered him, traced her fingers along the arch of his lip. Mulled on what she knew of him and that scent of his arousal. How interested he seemed to be in her and what she was when others sought to kill her. Her voice was a rasp when she finally spoke. “What are you?”

Eyes gleaming, smile sinful and full of what he wore beneath his skin, his dimples cut deep. “Why don't come you find out?”

Well hell, how did a girl turn down that sort of challenge? Caroline dragged her fingers along his throat, threaded them through the curls at the nape of his neck. She pressed her chest against his before digging in with her nails just to feel that rumble of sound against her nipples. “I'm greedy in bed.”

Klaus’ mouth curved and he dipped his head. “Oh, I hope so.”

He didn't rush his kiss. He teased with lips and tongue, until Caroline hitched a thigh over his hip and licked greedily into his mouth. He cupped her ass with one hand, holding her hips to his as he ground briefly and then lifted his head. She tilted forward and bit until she caught the faintest hint of blood, moaned heavily as he snaked a hand between them to find her breast.

“Let me take you upstairs.”

She tipped her head back and blinked at the levels in his home. “Let me guess, your bed is at the top.”

“I'll make it worth it,” he murmured before hitching her higher and moving towards the staircase. “I want you on my sheets.”

He took the stairs quickly and each upward motion of his body rubbed her clit against the edge of his cock. The seam of her jeans was rough against her clit, and her nails had drawn blood when they reached the top, her breathing ragged. Hotly aroused, body throbbing everywhere they pressed together, his bedroom still gave her pause.

The entire upper floor was his bedroom with wide windows and missing walls gave the space the feeling of a loft. His bed was bigger than she'd have expected and it sat on a low platform. Peering into the space she thought she caught sight of a bathroom behind a partially closed door to the right. But she was distracted when Klaus set her down, cupped her face between two hot hands and dipped his head.

Caroline ducked and twisted out of his hold, reaching for the hem of her shirt. “Did you miss the part where I want out of these clothes? Is that going to be an issue?”

Both of his brows arched. “Hardly.”

“Good. Then strip.” Caroline ordered as she tossed the t-shirt away disdainfully. She glanced up as she kicked her jeans to the side and arched both brows when Klaus just looked at her, eyes a pale gold. “Seriously? Stare when we're naked.”

He laughed and tugged his shirt over his head. She drank in the smooth lines of his chest and abs, tongue dragging across her lips as he dimpled and stepped in her direction. His fingers came to trace the lace of her bra, eyes flickering to hers. “Impatient?”

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like the smell of cop.”

He made slow, considering noise. “Then allow me to help.”

Klaus tugged the cup of her bra down and had his lips around her nipple before she could say another word. Spine arching, one hand sliding into his hair, the other clutching the firm muscle of his shoulder, Caroline moaned. She shuddered as his other hand slid beneath her bra to roll her neglected nipple.

She yanked on his hair, when he used his teeth.

“Pants. Off.” Caroline growled as she shook off her bra and reached for her panties. His smiled when she was bare and she blinked when she found herself suddenly perched on the edge of his bed. She narrowed her eyes and growled when he smiled in satisfaction, sinking to his knees with eyes full of triumph. He brushed his lips across her thigh, and his tongue snaked across her skin.

“Later.”

Her eyes narrowed even as he lifted one knee to rest on his shoulder. The questions on the tip of her tongue died when he licked up her wet slit, barely grazing her clit. Moaning low in her chest, Caroline fisted her hands in his bedding and watched his face as he teased her with soft touches of his tongue. He kept one hand flat on her waist so she couldn’t grind against his tongue. Frustration built with her arousal, and she whined before fisting both hands into his hair and tugging until he groaned.

“When I said greedy, I meant I wanted to come, Klaus. Seriously, use your goddamn…” Her words choked off as he sucked strongly on her clit. The slow exploration turned into slick, wet lashes were she was positively throbbing and she whined out his name, voice high and needy. His lips curled as he sank two fingers inside her, fingertips exploring as they hooked inside her. Her curses went ragged and the build up was fast. Her heel dig sharply into his back as she trembled through her orgasm

Caroline could only pant as Klaus looked up at her, running his tongue across his lips to catch all of her.

“What was that, love?”

She tried to scowl as his palm smoothed along her thigh. But she couldn’t quite manage to work up the mean. “You’re old enough that I figured you should know your way around lady parts. Imagine my surprise when that didn’t seem to be the case.”

He grinned at her, his dimples cutting deep as his eyes burned gold and hot. “You really can’t help yourself, can you?”

She tilted her head, arched both brows. “I certainly can help myself, but I thought that wasn’t the point to tonight?”

His teeth scraped a line next to her knee and she shivered at the bite of pain. “Oh, you’ll come plenty, sweetheart. Has anyone tested that vampiric stamina of yours yet?”

“Arrogant.”

Klaus’ teeth gleamed, eyes glittering. “Let’s see if I can do anything to improve that disposition of yours. Do let me know when you’d like another bite, sweetheart. I’m not put out by blood on my sheets, and your monster is lovely.”

He didn’t give her a chance to respond, head bent as he easily held her thighs apart for his tongue. This time she fell back and toyed with hernipples as he licked wicked patterns across her clit. Klaus watched her fingers with starving eyes but he took  
his time winding her up. It wasn’t until she was nearly incoherent with need, fingers tearing at his sheets, that he gave her the push she needed.

Afterwards, he crawled up her body and moved them further into his bed. His smile had lost all semblance of amusement and was a wicked, dangerous thing full of need. He murmured her name against her breast like a benediction and when he finally filled her with his cock it was a rumbling from a beast she could almost feel against her skin. Even then, his skin hot and slick against her own he was still in no hurry. Each thrust was slow and teasing until she reared up and dug her fangs into his throat.

Klaus tasted even better from the vein.

She orgasmed harder than she could remember coming before with him inside her and his blood on his tongue. Caroline was still shuddering when he reared up and looked at her with wild eyes and sharp cheekbones, his throat red with blood. His gaze dragged down her face again, and he groaned, shifting the angle her hips and driving in her.

Her nails left bleeding gouges in his back and his teeth temporarily bruised her breasts and throat, but when her legs locked around his waist she had a brief moment to be thankful for a lack of neighbors.

When they finally collapsed onto his bedding, Klaus pulled her into the curve of his body and tucked her close, chest rumbling with that rumbling purr that so confused her. That same, lingering impression of a great beast tugged at her mind but she was too sated and worn to care, his blood sweet on her tongue. She drifted off with the heat of his skin against hers and Klaus’ fingers in her hair.  
_

Klaus slipped out of his bed carefully, knowing that Caroline slept lightly, but his little vampire didn’t stir as he tucked her back under his bedding. His fingers itched to smooth the riotous mess of her curls but that would wake her. And as much as he wanted to see how long it took for her shift from sated to grumpy, she needed her rest.

He wanted Caroline here, in his bed, while she did.

Downstairs, his phone was ringing.

Taking one more long, covetous look to feed the monster in his bones, Klaus stepped off the ledge and landed silently on the floor below. The spells that he’d worked into the building were there to accommodate a much larger form than his human shape. Over the years, it had become a tight squeeze, to fit into the three stories he had shaped over centuries. In another hundred years, he’d finally need to start looking to add on or move to one of his estates full time.

But not yet.

Plucking the phone off his counter, he answered coolly. “Aurora, I wondered when you would call.”

“My brother informs me that you’ve taken the vampire into your protection.”

Aurora’s voice was tight with strain, her temper brittle. Her grandmother would have been most disappointed in the child of her child. Small of stature, she had stared down supernatural creatures many times her size. If dealing with a dragon had intimidated her, she’d never shown it.

“Lucien came into my territory and vervained a vampire unprovoked. I’m most curious as to how the Witch Council will respond?”

“There is a confirmed Ripper in the city,” Aurora said furiously. “The Council would like to know how you plant to act?”

“How I’ve always responded to a ripper in my city,” Klaus said softly, letting the beast in his bones darken his voice. “The same as I will respond should I discover that the Witch Council has decided to take matters into their own hands regarding supernatural policing. Have you forgotten that this city is mine?”

“The world has changed,” Aurora said softly, but her voice wavered at the threat in his. “Dragons no longer carve the world into territories and claim everything they see as their own.”

Klaus laughed at her audacity. “Be very careful, Aurora. Your grandmother was a friend and someone I admired, but that goodwill will not keep you from becoming a broken shell of what you are now. Caroline Forbes is under my protection, and neither your brother nor the council will have a say in how I deal with her presence. The next time Lucien instigates an attack, I will not be so polite in my response.”

“And if she is the Ripper?”

Everything inside him rebelled. Acerbic, with a sunshine smile and a predator tucked so carefully under her skin, Caroline Forbes had rocked him that first time she’d walked into his bar. He’d doubted that first instinct that had clawed at the marrow in his bones that insisted that she was his. He had refused to acknowledge the pull every time she’d walked away from him. Then one of his regulars had arrived, worried and concerned for her neighbor that had been taken away by the police, unconscious and blistering from vervain.

His temper, always unstable, had gone white-hot.

Lucien was fortunate that Klaus had no claim on Caroline Forbes, other than she lived in his city, in his territory. That all the supernatural lived in New York CIty by his will alone. Getting her out had barely been enough to sate the creature that wanted to turn the precinct to ash, to remind the humans who ruled.

He’d found her angry, but managing her thirst. Such exquisite control, but the self loathing he’d worried he’d find had been missing. The absolute glory of her monster’s face.

“She is not. I suggest you look a little harder at the vampires you’ve let into my city, Aurora. The baby vampire is not your problem, but I will be, should this continue.”

The phone went dead at his words.

Regardless of his instincts if Caroline had been the ripper, he’d have killed her hours ago in his kitchen. But she’d licked her lips clean of his blood, her eyes as black as the veins that ran into them, and then neatly tucked her monster back inside her veins. Challenged him, with that control.

He’d made a point to shatter it with his tongue and then his cock.

But his blood hadn’t.

Moving towards the stairs, Klaus went up them on silent feet. He’d wake Caroline, tempt her into making him her dinner. Then he’d coax her downstairs to make them an actual meal, and see exactly what type of cajoling it would take to convince her to stay the night.

Beast a hot stirring of want in his gut, Klaus smiled.

He couldn’t wait.

 

 

 


End file.
